Thursday, June 27, 2013

Delegations from Antioch, Jerusalem meet in Athens

A meeting was held June 21 in Athens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the initiative of vice-minister Costas Tsiaras, to raise the issue of the disagreement between the patriarchates of Antioch and Jerusalem with regard to jurisdiction over Qatar. In addition to the representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarcate, which offered its mediation, including Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon, delegations from the Patriarchate of Antioch and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem were present at the meeting. Carol Saba was part of the delegation from the Patriarchate of Antioch which also notably included Metropolitan Saba (Esber) of Bosra. An agreement was reached that will be relayed to the holy synods of Antioch and Jerusalem.

The Greek Foreign Ministry's statement following the meeting (Greek original here):

Following
a discussion, conducted in a spirit of mutual trust and understanding,
representatives of the Patriarchates of Antioch and Jerusalem confirmed
that each Church respects the limits of the jurisdiction of the other,
and agreed to relay specific proposals to the Holy Synods of the
Churches which serve the common goal of Orthodox unity. In conclusion, the Deputy Foreign Minister praised the mediating role of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate and thanked the agreement and the constructive atmosphere
in which the talks were held.